Welcome To My Nightmare
by Leeese
Summary: One Halloween, Dan Scott went on a murderous rampage; targeting his family. Now he's back to finish what he started. Will those that survived have the same luck once again once he finds them? Or will he succeed in ending his bloodline once and for all? Brucas, Naley, Julian/Alex. AU.
1. Tuesday, October 29th 2013

**Hey lovely readers,**

**I know I should be updating a regular story, but I thought I'd give you all a little Halloween treat with a mini Halloween story. Hope you all enjoy it!**

**Leeese**

* * *

**Tuesday, October 29****th**** 2013 **

**Tree Hill, North Carolina**

Julian Baker Durham made his way towards his parents' house. He had just finished work at the precinct and had decided to check on his mother, Sylvia, after her busy shift at the hospital. He had stopped by the candy store on his way to get Halloween candy so that his parents' didn't have to worry. He always made sure to check on his parents to make sure they were okay; even more so around Halloween.

He remembered when he was a child he hadn't celebrated Halloween like normal kids. It had been a time of great tension and distress in his household. At first, he had hated his parent's for making him the odd one out to the other kids. But when he was in his teens, he understood why his parents didn't want to celebrate that particular holiday.

His father, Brian "Whitey" Durham, had confided in him and told him all about an event that had occurred almost twenty five years ago. Julian himself had been almost 1 year old at the time. A patient of his father's named Dan Scott; who he had been treating for ten years, had stopped taking his meds. He had then gone on a killing spree where his target had been his family; and even his then girlfriend. His father hadn't gone into details about what had happened. Julian had only found out when he had reviewed the police files when he had become a detective.

He had learned, from the police file, that Dan had killed his parents, brother, sister in law and girlfriend. However, he had discovered a file that had been in his father's office that had revealed that everything in the police file wasn't exactly true. Julian had been shocked that his father had helped cover things up and broke the law in the process. After he had thought about it for a while he knew that it was for the best that his father had done what he had.

He made his way up the steps of his parents' porch and arrived at the front door. He stopped in his tracks as he saw that the door was slightly ajar. His hand instinctively went to his gun as he became more alert. His parents never left the door like that so he knew that there had to be something wrong.

He carefully nudged the door open and cautiously went inside. He deposited the brown paper shopping bag of candy in the hallway table as he appraised the area. Nothing seemed out of place. He then made his way towards the lounge. Again nothing seemed out of place there. He went back out the lounge and made his way down the hallway.

The next door that he reached led into his father's office. It was ajar and he immediately saw that the room had been trashed. From what he could see papers had been strewn around and things had been smashed. He carefully nudged the door open further and the color left his face at the sight that greeted him.

Amid the trashed office, his mother lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. He saw the pool of blood on the wooden floor beneath her. It seemed to grow even bigger as he rushed towards her. He knelt down beside her in a patch that was clear of blood and checked her pulse. He was relieved to find that it was still beating. As his fingertips pressed against her pulse point, she let out a gasp. Julian jumped slightly as she grasped his wrist.

"Mom what happened?" he asked in a worried tone as she opened her eyes.

"You need to check on your father." she told him in a weak voice.

"Where is he?" Julian asked with a frown. As far as he was aware, his father was still at work.

"It was Dan Scott," Sylvia managed. "He must have escaped. Find your father."

"I will mom," Julian replied as he pulled out his cell phone. He quickly dialed 911. "Let me get you an ambulance first."

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Seattle, Washington**

"Just how many decorations are you going to put up Brooke?" Rachel Gatina asked her boss as her customer left the hair salon.

"I'm almost done," Brooke Davis replied as she made her way down the ladder. "You should know by now that Halloween is one of my favorite holidays; besides Christmas and Valentines Day."

"Can you count Valentine's as a holiday?" Rachel asked as she frowned thoughtfully. "I mean we have to work on that day, so I wouldn't class it as a holiday."

"Well I do." Brooke told her as she studied the decorations she had just put up.

"Isn't every day Valentine's Day in your house?" Rachel asked in a teasing tone.

"It sure is," Brooke replied as she smiled widely. "Valentine's Day just makes Lucas even-"

"Hornier?" Rachel asked cutting her off.

"More romantic actually," Brooke replied with a laugh. "You know it's a good thing there are no customers in here right now. The way you talk I'm surprised you need curlers to help curl people's hair."

"Why do you think I'm the curling expert in here?" Rachel asked unfazed. "I'm surprised that the two of you only have Sienna. The way you two go at it you should have an entire football team by now."

"I don't know if you've heard about this or not, but there's this new invention called contraception," Brooke told her in a playful tone. "That's why Sienna is an only child. And she will be for several years to come."

"When are you planning on giving her a sibling?"

"I honestly don't know," Brooke replied. She got a thoughtful look on her face as she added. "Is it better to have them closer together or years apart? I mean both Lucas and I don't have any siblings so we don't have any clue on that one."

"Well my parents had my eldest three brothers in quick succession and then had me and my sister over a decade later," Rachel told her. "My brothers got on and as you know me and my sister didn't. So to answer your question I don't think it matters."

"I should know never to ask you things like this because you always tell me a long story and I never get an answer." Brooke replied with a fond smile.

"Yeah but you love my little tales of Rachel wisdom right?" Rachel asked as she laughed.

"I wouldn't say love," Brooke teased. "But then again you certainly keep the customers entertained with your tales."

"Why do you think my tips are so good?" Rachel asked with a grin.

"Speaking of tips, Tara Richards actually tipped me earlier," Brooke told her. "And it wasn't her usual dose of sarcastic comments either. It was cold hard cash."

"Maybe Halloween is her favorite holiday too," Rachel suggested. "Maybe it's the one time of year she has better luck in contacting her fellow demons."

"Rachel!" Brooke said as she giggled.

"Come on you know it's true," Rachel told her as she too laughed. Once the laughter died down, Rachel decided to change the subject. "So did Sienna decide what costume she wanted?"

"She decided that she wanted to be a clown," Brooke replied. "So now me and Lucas are taking the kids trick or treating instead of Nathan and Haley."

"I don't get Haley's fear of clowns," Rachel replied as she shook her head. "Or your in-laws hate of Halloween."

"They're not my in-laws yet Rach. Me and Luke aren't even engaged yet," Brooke reminded her. "I'm not exactly sure why they're not fans of Halloween. I don't think Lucas knows either. Nathan's parents are the same."

"Maybe they had a traumatic childhood where they weren't allowed to eat candy," Rachel replied. "Or had issues when it came to costumes; like Haley."

"If they did then that's none of your business," Brooke told her as she arched an eyebrow in disapproval. It was the look that told Rachel she had gone too far with her comments. Brooke then changed the subject. "Are you sure you don't mind closing up tonight?"

"Not at all," Rachel told her. "There's not really much left to do. I just have to clean and cash up. You just concentrate on getting Sienna's clown costume done."

"Thanks Rach," Brooke said as she gave her a grateful smile. "I think I will leave now actually. I can stop by the fabric store before I pick her up from preschool instead of after. It'll save doubling back."

"Have fun in the traffic." Rachel told her as Brooke pulled her jacket on.

"Hopefully Lucas will be free to keep me entertained." Brooke replied as she picked up her purse and began to head to the door.

"Be careful you don't get too involved in your booty call. I don't want to be hearing about no car accidents now." Rachel said playfully as Brooke headed out of the door.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Los Angeles, California**

"I don't care about your excuses; just get it done!" Alex Dupree yelled before she slammed her phone down in a fit of anger. She then let out a sigh of frustration as she massaged her temples.

"Are you okay?" Miranda Stone asked her boss as she poked her head into her office. She had heard her yelling from her desk.

"Ask me that after the deadline," Alex replied. "I _finally_ got Owen Morello to agree to do the shirtless photo shoot for us and then Alexander messes it all up. I don't need this right now. I have other more pressing issues on my mind."

"What didn't he do this time?" Miranda asked in a sympathetic tone.

"He slept in and didn't turn up for the photo shoot," Alex told her. "Owen was left waiting and nobody turned up. Now I'm going to have to grovel and make it up to him so that he doesn't go to any of my rivals."

"Do you want me to clear your schedule for the rest of the day?" Miranda asked. Alex nodded as she stood and began to gather her things together. "Oh your mom called again. She wants you to call her back."

"That woman is _not_ my mother," Alex told her in an icy tone. "If she calls again; tell her to stop calling or I'll take legal action."

"Okay; got it," Miranda replied. "Just out of curiosity; how are you going to make it up to Mr. Morello?"

"By doing whatever is necessary." Alex said as she made her way out of her office. Miranda breathed a sigh of relief before she headed back to her desk to clear Alex's appointments.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Seattle, Washington**

"Are you okay?" Marvin McFadden asked his assistant as she came back behind the counter at the library they worked at. "You look a little peaky."

"I'm fine Mouth," Haley James-Hargrove replied as she gave him a tight smile. "At least I should be seeing as though I finally threw up."

"Nice," Mouth replied with a grimace. "Do you want me to get you some water?"

"I thought it was my job to bring the boss things; not the other way around." Haley said in a teasing tone.

"Yeah well you're not feeling so good, so any decent boss would held their staff," Mouth replied as he made her sit down in a chair. "Now do you want room temperature or cold?"

"Cold would be great." She told him as she gave him a grateful smile.

"I'll be right back." Mouth told her before he headed to get her some water. He returned moments later and handed the plastic cup to her.

"Thanks." She said before she took a sip.

"So should I be saying congratulations?" Mouth asked after a few moments silence. Haley gave him a quizzical look. "You've been off every morning for the past week that I've noticed. You're pregnant aren't you?"

"I don't know. I haven't done a test," Haley admitted. "But I think I am. This is how I was at the start of my pregnancy when I carried Jamie."

"Does Nathan know?"

"No I haven't mentioned anything to him yet. I want to be sure before I talk to him about it."

"Well when you're feeling a little better head out to the pharmacy and get your self a test," Mouth told her. He grinned as he added. "And no lifting anything heavy. Nathan will kill me."

"Yes boss," Haley replied with a slight giggle. "Can you not say anything to anybody until I know for sure and told Nathan?"

"Of course I won't," Mouth promised her. "You have my word."

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Tree Hill, North Carolina**

"Dad, what the hell happened?" Julian asked in concern as he went into the private room at the hospital that his father was in.

"What I've been dreading for the past 25 years," Whitey replied as he lifted the oxygen mask away from his face. Julian closed the door and hastily sat beside his bed. "He escaped. I don't know how but he did. Your mother? Is she okay?"

"No," Julian replied in a quiet voice. His eyes moved to look at the floor before he spoke again. "Someone broke into the house and trashed your office. I found mom in there. I called an ambulance but it was too late. She died before they got there."

"Oh my God!" Whitey said as he closed his eyes and placed the oxygen mask back on his face. Julian looked at his father and saw tears slipping down his face. It was the first time that he had seen his father cry. "I should have destroyed the files."

"The one that you had on the Scott family?" Julian asked. Whitey looked at him quizzically. "I found it when I was looking for another file for a case I was working on. I couldn't help myself. I read the whole thing."

"Can you remember what was in it?"

"I sure can." Julian confirmed.

"Then you need to go and warn them," Whitey told him. "Warn them before he finds them."

""How did he know about that file?" Julian asked.

"There's no way that he could have known," Whitey replied. He paused before he continued. "There was another file that he would have known about. He would have gone looking for that and found the second file as well."

"What other file?" Julian asked with a frown. His expression turned to one of shock as his father told him. "Oh my God!"

"You have to go and warn them; all of them," Whitey told him. "I'd do it myself but as you know the only place I'm going it where your mother is."

"I can't leave you here to die alone." Julian said as his own eyes filled with tears.

"Please do this for me Julian," Whitey begged. "For most of my life I've kept them safe. Please don't let a stupid mistake on my part end their existence. I promised them that they would be safe from him. Please Julian."

"Alright. I'll do it," Julian promised. He couldn't deny his dying father his last wish. "Can you try and hold on until I get back? I want to say goodbye to you properly."

"I can't guarantee that son," Whitey told him sadly. "Your old dad is proud of you, you know that?"

"Dad," Julian replied as his tears escaped his eyes. "I can't lose you and mom in the same day."

"There's no choice in that son," Whitey told him. "Come give me a hug while you still can."

Julian moved and hugged his father. It was a strange experience for him as he wasn't used to his father showing emotion like how he was right then. His mind then moved back to Dan Scott. He was determined to hunt him down and making him pay for destroying his family. Even if it meant that he wouldn't be there for when his father passed.

"I'll get him dad. I promise," Julian said as he and his father ended their hug. "For you and for mom. I'll make sure that he won't ever get to destroy another family ever again."

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Seattle, Washington**

"I think we did a great job on that," Nathan Hargrove said to his cousin Lucas Thorne as they stood back and admired the work they had just done. They had just finished landscaping the gardens of a rich customer who had wanted an elaborate display in front of their house, ready for their annual Halloween party.

"I think we did even better than last year," Lucas replied. He laughed slightly as he added. "I have no idea how we're going to top this next year."

"Me neither. But I'm not going to let that spoil the moment," Nathan told him. "I'm just taking in the feeling of satisfaction I'm getting; knowing that the long hours in slaving in shitty weather has paid off; again."

"I heard that there are more influential people on the guest list this year," Lucas said. "So on the back of this we might get more clients wanting our horticultural expertise."

"Luke man, stop talking like you swallowed a dictionary," Nathan told him in a teasing tone. "It's bad enough when Jamie comes back from your house and talks like that."

"Hey you should be pleased that I'm teaching your son proper words." Lucas retorted as they began to put their gardening equipment away.

"Are you going to be teaching Sienna how to be all proper too?"

"Of course," Lucas replied. "She's going to be brought up to be a proper young lady with proper manners."

"Yeah good luck with that one," Nathan told him as he laughed. "Do you not remember how teenage girls behave? If you're not careful you'll have a rebel on your hands."

"I never thought of that," Lucas admitted. "But then again if she's used to abiding by the rules Brooke and I set her, then she shouldn't rebel."

"You wish."

"Look I'm not talking about my daughter being a rebellious teenager anymore," Lucas told him. "She's four. I'm going to enjoy her childhood before I start having those nightmares."

"Speaking of nightmares, what made Sienna choose to be a clown?" Nathan asked. "And a pink one at that. She knows Hales is petrified of the things."

"Her pre-school had a clown visit them a couple days ago," Lucas began to explain. "Sienna was one of the few kids who weren't freaked out. Brooke picked her up and she couldn't stop talking about wanting to be a clown for Halloween."

"She should have just stuck with her idea to be a teddy bear. Then we could have stuck to the arrangement of me and Hales taking Sienna and Jamie trick or treating."

"Well you two are going to be doing it for the next two years." Lucas replied.

"Just as long as there are no clowns there shouldn't be any problems." Nathan told him.

"It's times like these where I wish my parents were so anti-Halloween." Lucas said with a sigh as he and Nathan closed up the back of their truck.

"Likewise," Nathan agreed as they headed to sit in the truck to head home for the day. Once they were sat in the truck Nathan asked. "Did your parents ever say why they hated the holiday so much?"

"Nope," Lucas replied as he started the truck. "What about your folks?"

"The same," Nathan answered. "I'm not sure I want to know why they hate the holiday so much. I thought my dad would love it seeing as though it'll keep him in business when he's filling all the cavities in the sugar caused."

"Yeah," Lucas agreed as he laughed. "I think my dad loves Christmas because of all the work he gets sorting people's electrics out when they fuck them up with all the lights."

"I hope you don't speak like that in front of your daughter."

"Oh come on! You know I don't," Lucas replied. "And I think Jamie is more impressionable at picking up the things _you_ say."

"You're right with that one." Nathan admitted.

"Is Jamie still dressing up as Harry Potter?" Lucas asked as he kept his attention on the road.

"Yep," Nathan replied with a grin. "After all he's not a girl. So there's no chance of him changing his mind about what he's wearing."

"So what are you and Hales going to be doing while me and Brooke take the kids trick or treating?"

"I suggested we have some _alone_ time," Nathan replied. "But Hales says we're going to spend it with my folks and yours."

"That'll work out well," Lucas said as an idea came into his head. "Brooke and I can drop Sienna and Jamie off wherever you're all hanging out and then have the romantic evening in that we had planned."

"Just make sure Sienna is out of her clown outfit if you do end up doing that." Nathan told him. Lucas just chuckled in response as he continued to drive.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Los Angeles, California**

"Can I help you?" Miranda asked the man as he approached her desk. She hoped that she sounded cheery and not annoyed at him showing up just as she was about to leave.

"I was hoping to speak to Alex Dupree." The man replied as he gave her a friendly smile.

"I'm afraid she's left for the day," Miranda replied. "She'll be back tomorrow at 9 a.m. sharp. You'll have to come back then."

"I _really_ need to see her today," the man replied. "It's a matter of life and death. Do you have a contact number for her?"

"Who are you?" Miranda asked as she narrowed her eyes and studied the man. She watched him reach into the inside pocket on his suit jacket and produce a black leather wallet. He flipped it open and showed her a police ID.

"I'm Detective Durham from North Carolina," Julian informed her. "I need to speak to her about a case I'm working on."

"Is she in trouble?" Miranda asked in surprise. She now understood what Alex meant about not needing added stress right then.

"No she's not in trouble," Julian assured her. "I just need to make sure that she's okay."

"How do I know that you're a real cop?" Miranda challenged.

"You can call my precinct in Tree Hill and they'll verify it for you. You'll need my badge number." Julian told her as he held his badge out to her.

Miranda studied him for a moment before she made her decision. She ignored the police ID that he held and pulled out a post it note pad from her desk drawer. She then quickly wrote Alex's address and telephone numbers down on it, before lifting the top sheet and handing it to him.

"Thank you so much," Julian replied in a relieved tone. "You could have just saved her life."

"If she's not there, she might be at a client's apartment," Miranda told him. She was intrigued as to what was going on. "She had damage control to do because of an incompetent photographer."

"Do you have that address too?" Julian asked hopefully.

"I'm not supposed to give out personal details," Miranda told him. "I could lose my job for giving you that post it note."

"I know and I appreciate your help," Julian told her. "I just need that other address. Alex could be in danger. And if I have to go through official channels to get that address then it could be too late for both her and the client she's visiting."

"Okay I'll look for it." Miranda told him as she began to look through the contacts in her rolodex. She could tell that Julian was being honest with her by the look in his eye. She just hoped that whatever was going on, he wasn't too late to save her from it.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Seattle, Washington**

"How are you holding up?" Karl Thorne asked his wife as he returned home from finishing work. She looked over at him from her spot at the stove as she stirred a pan.

"How do you think?" Katherine Thorne replied with a sigh. "I could barely concentrate at work today. I'm just glad that I didn't have to do any surgery on some poor little animal. I don't think I would have managed it."

"I have to admit that I couldn't concentrate today either," Karl admitted. "It's going to be worse by Thursday. I'm glad that I'm self employed and can refuse to work that day."

"I'm glad the surgery lets me have a vacation at Halloween," Katherine replied. "I'm tempted to get a last minute vacation somewhere."

"That sounds like a good idea." Karl agreed.

"The only thing that is stopping me is that Lucas, Brooke and Sienna will be left here."

"Have you spoken to Dina today?" Karl asked. "Maybe if we all banded together the kids would agree to a last minute vacation too."

"It doesn't hurt to try right?" Katherine asked.

"Exactly."

"I'll call her after dinner," Katherine told him. "She and Andy have that business dinner for the new investor for Andy's practice remember?"

"I forgot about that," Karl admitted. "Do you need help with anything?"

"You can pour me another glass of wine if you want."

"Red or white?"

"Red."

"Coming right up." Karl said as he set about getting them both a drink.

**~X~X~X~X~**

On a quiet, dark road, Dan Scott drove his latest stolen car well above the speed limit. He had a long drive ahead of him to get to his first target. He looked at the files on the passenger seat briefly and smirked. He was looking forward to catching up with the remains of his family.


	2. Wednesday, October 30th 2013

**Hey Lovely Readers!**

**Thanks for the reviews for chapter 1. They're greatly appreciated. I promise things will become clearer in the next chapter regarding Dan's family. Hope you enjoy! **

**Leeese**

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**Wednesday, 30****th**** October 2013**

**Los Angeles, California**

"Who are you?" Alex asked the man that was at her front door in a sleepy tone. She tightened the belt on her robe as she did.

"My name is Julian Durham. I'm a detective from North Carolina," Julian told her as he showed her his ID. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"What?" Alex asked bluntly. She wasn't in the mood for being questioned by a cop; especially at 3:30 in the morning.

"Perhaps it would be best if you were sitting down." He told her softly. He didn't want to break the news to her in the doorway of her house.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" she asked, still sounding annoyed.

"I do. And I wouldn't bother you at such an unearthly hour unless it was important." Julian told her sincerely.

"Fine. Come in," Alex relented with a heavy sigh. She then stood back and opened the door wider to let him in. Julian stepped into the house and made sure to wipe his feet on the doormat before he followed Alex to the lounge. She indicated him to sit on the sofa and he did; making sure not to sit too close to her. "So what do you want to talk to me about?"

"I'm not sure where to start." Julian admitted.

"How about at the beginning?" Alex suggested before she yawned. She then frowned as she added. "Wait a second. I need coffee. Do you want one?"

"Uh sure." Julian replied in a weary tone as he watched Alex walk out of the lounge.

While he was alone he allowed himself a few moments of rest. He hadn't slept since before his last shift at the precinct; that was now over 24 hours ago. He hadn't a clue on how to break the news to Alex. He wasn't sure on how much she would know. Or in fact if she knew anything of her past. He was drawn out of his thoughts as Alex came back with two cups of steaming coffee. She handed one to him as she sat back down.

"It's instant. I'm too tired to wait for a pot to brew," she told him. "And I don't have milk or sugar so you'll just have to have it black."

"I like it that way anyway." Julian told her as he gave her a weary smile.

"So what's so urgent that you have to drag me out of bed at five thirty in the morning?" Alex asked not wanting to beat around the bush any longer. "Just tell me straight out. I don't want you going the long way round and taking twice as long."

"Okay then." Julian replied. He then took a deep breath before he began to tell her the reason why he was there.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Seattle, Washington**

Lying in bed still mostly asleep, Brooke felt Lucas's body wrap protectively around her from behind. She welcomed the warmth of his body against her. She kept her eyes closed and took in the sensations slowly. She felt Lucas's breath on her neck as their legs tangled together. His left arm was around her waist and she smiled sleepily to herself as she felt his hand run up her torso and cup her breasts. She snuggled further against him as he did and breathed in his masculine scent, as she felt him beginning to harden against her.

Brooke felt Lucas's chest expand against her back as he breathed deeply. His breath tickled her ear as he exhaled. She slowly moved her hips back against him as she felt herself becoming aroused. It earned her a soft moan from Lucas in response as his hand began to lightly squeeze her breast. Her nipple hardened against his palm as he kissed the sensitive spot on her neck that was right behind her ear.

His hand then stroked downwards over her toned stomach, her hip and to her thigh. His fingers bunched the material of her nightdress before he pulled it upwards. Brooke wiggled to help him raise it higher until it was bunched around her waist. She opened her eyes as she felt Lucas position himself at her opening. She turned her head towards him and their eyes locked as he slowly thrust into her. Their lips joined in a deep, passionate kiss as Lucas slowly filled her. Her inner muscles flexed around him and they both moaned into each other's mouths, as he filled her completely.

"Mmm that feels good." Brooke said in a sleepy tone as their lips separated.

"It does. Now prepare for it to get even better." Lucas replied as he began to slowly move within her.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Sienna screamed from her bedroom. Brooke and Lucas let out a disappointed groan as Lucas carefully withdrew from Brooke. "Mommy!"

"I bet she's had that nightmare again." Lucas said to Brooke as she climbed out of bed and smoothed her nightdress down.

"Yeah. That'll be the sixth day in a row." Brooke said as she yawned.

"Do you want me to go?"

"No I'll go. She's calling for me," Brooke told him. She then grinned playfully as she added. "And you can't really go in there in your current state can you?"

"That's true," Lucas replied as Sienna screamed again. "I'll keep the bed warm. Right after I put my PJ's back on."

"You better," Brooke said as she left their bedroom. She then headed down the hallway towards Sienna's room. She pushed the door open and headed inside. "Hey Pumpkin. Did you have the bad dream again?"

"Uh huh!" Sienna said as she nodded. Sienna's blue eyes were wide with fear as Brooke made her way over to the bed and sat down. The little girl practically jumped in her lap as she did. Brooke stroked her mousy brown hair

"It's okay," Brooke told her in a soothing tone. "There's no bad man after you."

"He was after daddy this time," Sienna mumbled as she buried her face against Brooke. Brooke's eyebrows rose in surprise at what she hear. "He was chasing daddy and daddy couldn't run fast enough."

"Ssh it's okay," Brooke repeated. "Your daddy is just fine. He's nice, safe and warm in bed. Do you want to see for yourself?"

"Uh huh." Sienna said. Brooke stood and lifted her as her daughter held onto her tightly. She turned the nightlight off and then headed back down the hallway and to her bedroom.

"Somebody needs to see that her daddy is okay." Brooke said as she went through the door. Lucas was in the process of sitting up in bed in his pajamas.

"I'm fine SiSi," Lucas said as Sienna turned her head to look at her father. "See."

"I wanna hug daddy," Sienna said as she moved out of Brooke's arms. Luckily she was near the bed and Sienna quickly crawled over to her father and pounced on him. Lucas held her tightly as she began to cry. "The bad man was after you."

"Hey SiSi, there's no bad man," Lucas assured her as Brooke climbed back into bed. "I'm okay."

"Can I sleep in here with you and mommy?" Sienna asked as she sniffled.

"Of course you can," Brooke told her as she rubbed her back. "Do you want some hot milk first?"

"Uh huh." Sienna replied as she remained clung to Lucas.

"I'll go and make us all some then." Brooke told her as she got back out of the bed.

"I'll look after daddy." Sienna told her. Brooke smiled at Lucas before she turned and headed out of the room once again. As she made her way down to the kitchen, she wondered what could have caused Sienna to start having the vivid nightmares.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"What are you doing?" Karl asked Katherine as he walked into their closet.

"Packing." she replied in a distracted tone.

"Well I can see that," Karl said. "But why? It's practically the middle of the night."

"For the vacation," she answered. "I'm packing for the both of us. Then once we're dressed we can go to Lucas's house and get him, Brooke and Sienna packed. We'll be out of town well before breakfast."

"How can you be so sure that they'll come with us?"

"They have to come with us. I have a _really_ bad feeling," Katherine admitted. "I've not had the feeling be this strong since _that_ night. Look what happened."

"Have you spoke to Dina and told her how you feel?"

"Yes. She's packing things for her and Andy. Then they're going to go to Nathan's house to get him, Haley and Jamie out of Seattle."

"Where are we going to go?" Karl asked with a worried frown. He could see how worried his wife looked.

"I haven't thought that far ahead," Katherine admitted. "We only need someplace for a couple nights anyway so it should be easy to find a motel wherever we end up."

"Are we taking the cars?"

"We'll take them to the airport. Then we'll fly someplace."

"Well I'll go and get our passports then." Karl said as he walked out of the closet. As he made his way to his office, he noticed that he felt waves of uneasiness building within his gut. He was suddenly glad that his wife had decided to have them all flit for Halloween.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Los Angeles, California**

"I thought I told you to stay in the car?" Julian asked Alex as she followed him up the path to her parents' home.

"You really think I'm going to be staying in a car out in the dark by myself when there's a nut job on the loose?" she asked with a frown. "I've seen horror movies. That person always gets it. Well I'm not going to be _that_ moron."

"Well just be quiet," Julian told her in a quiet tone. "Because that nut job might just be here."

"What makes you say that?" Alex asked beginning to sound worried.

"Do your parents usually leave their front door open at this hour?" he asked as he indicated the ajar front door. Alex peered around him and got a sinking feeling as she saw the door.

"No." she admitted in a whisper.

"Stay behind me." Julian told her as he took his gun out of the holster he wore. He too spoke in a whisper.

Alex stayed behind him as the two of them crept up the garden path. Both were on alert for any form of movement. Alex was glad that she had dressed down in jeans and sneakers instead of her usual glam office wardrobe. She bumped into Julian as he stopped at the door. She covered her mouth to muffle her surprised gasp. The two of them then slowly moved into the house. Alex suddenly found herself wishing that she had stayed in the car after all.

She stayed as close to Julian as she could as he checked the ground floor of the house. She almost tripped as the two of them began to head up the stairs. Both kept on their guards for the slightest movement or noise. They reached the top of the stairs and headed down the hallway. They checked the rooms as they went until they finally reached the master bedroom. They went inside and again Alex bumped into Julian as he stopped.

"Why are we stopping?" Alex whispered.

"We need to get out of here." Julian told her as his eyes remained transfixed on the bed.

"Why?"

"We just do."

"Are my parents there?" Alex asked as she stepped out from behind Julian.

She gasped as her own eyes fell on the bed. The lifeless bodies of her parents lay there in a sea of blood. She was too shocked to make anymore noise, which Julian was grateful for. She was unable to take her eyes from the horrific sight in front of her. Julian gathered her into his arms and began to guide her out of the bedroom.

"Come on," he told her softly. "We need to get out of here and call the local cops. This is a crime scene and we don't want to disturb any evidence."

"Are they alive?" she asked as she let him move her back down the staircase.

"No," he told her gently. Their glazed eyes had told Julian they had been dead for a while and he wondered how far ahead of them Dan Scott actually was. "We'll get you sat in the car and I'll call the cops."

"Okay." Alex replied in an emotionless tone. She let him guide her out of the house and back to his rental car. When she was sat in the front passenger seat, he sat in the driver's seat and pulled out his cell phone. After he had spoken to the local police department he put the phone back into his pocket.

"They'll be here shortly," Julian told her. "When they're done we'll head to Seattle. Hopefully we won't be too late."

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Seattle, Washington**

"Hey mom," Lucas greeted as he opened the front door. "What are you doing here at this time of morning?"

""We've come to tell you to get packing," Katherine said as she and Karl stepped into their son's home. "We're taking you, Brooke and Sienna on vacation for Halloween."

"What?!" Lucas asked in a surprised tone as the three of them made their way to the kitchen. "When did you decide to take us on vacation?"

"Yesterday," Katherine told him as they went through the kitchen door. "I know its a little last minute, but I thought it would be a nice treat for the whole family to get away. Dina, Andy, Nathan, Haley and Jamie are coming too."

"Coming where?" Brooke asked as she looked over from her spot at the stove. She was in the process of making them more warm milk.

"On vacation." Karl said as he joined Sienna at the table.

"Hi Grandpa!" she greeted as she moved out of her seat and went over to him. He picked her up and sat her in his lap.

"Hey pumpkin." He greeted as Katherine sat beside them.

"Where on vacation?" Brooke asked as she poured the milk into cups. "Do you want coffee?"

"No we're good thanks," Katherine told her with a smile. "And to answer your question; anywhere that isn't Seattle."

"When?" Brooke asked as she placed Sienna's milk on the table in front of her.

"Within the next hour." Katherine answered.

"Seriously?" Lucas asked as he and Brooke shared a look. "That's a little short notice."

"Yeah it is," Brooke agreed. "I have an appointment book full of clients today and tomorrow. There's no way Rachel can cope by herself."

"Nathan and I have to work on a Halloween display in front of the hotel near your surgery too," Lucas told his mother. "Maybe after Halloween we can go away. Like Thanksgiving."

"No!" Katherine said in an urgent tone. "We all need to go away for Halloween."

"Why?" Lucas asked as he and Brooke joined them at the table.

"We just do." Katherine replied. There was then an uneasy silence around the table.

"So how come you three are up so early?" Karl asked after a few minutes.

"I had a bad dream," Sienna told him. "There was a bad man chasing daddy and he couldn't run fast enough."

"What?!" Katherine asked as she paled. She and Karl shared a worried look.

"She's had a dream about a bad man for almost the past week." Lucas told them.

"I'm worried about what started her having them." Brooke added as she gave her daughter a concerned look.

"What does the bad man look like SiSi?" Karl asked his grand daughter softly.

"I don't remember what the bad man looks like," Sienna said in a small voice. "He won't hurt daddy will he?"

"Of course not." Karl replied hoping that he sounded convincing. He had a hard time believing his words.

"We could always go away after the salon is closed tomorrow," Brooke suggested. "We're closing early so there'll still be chance to get out of Seattle for Halloween."

"That would work," Katherine said as she nodded. "We can pick somewhere to go and book the flights so everything is ready."

"And it'll give me more time to pack," Brooke added with a smile. "I can't pack in a hurry. I always forget something important."

"Does that mean no trick or treating?" Sienna asked sounding disappointed.

"You can still do that Pumpkin," Katherine assured her. She then looked at her son. "Do you have any preferences to where we go?"

"What about San Francisco?" Lucas suggested. "It's not too far away. We can do tourist things and Sienna and Jamie can still go trick or treating. We'll just find a nice neighborhood and do it there."

"I'll book the plane tickets and hotel once I've spoken to your Aunt Dina." Katherine said as she managed a smile. She felt better knowing that they would be out of Seattle in just over 24 hours.

"Can I wear my costume on the plane?" Sienna asked.

"It'll end up all creased if you do that," Brooke told her. "How about you get changed when we get there. There'll be plenty of time."

"I'll call your aunt now actually." Katherine said as she pulled her cell phone from her purse.

"Hey how about we all go out for breakfast?" Lucas suggested as the idea popped into his head. "Aunt Dina and Uncle Andy should come too. As well as Naley and Jamie obviously."

"I'll see what they say." Katherine said as she pressed the call button.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Sacramento, California**

"How are you feeling?" Julian asked Alex as he handed her a cup of coffee.

They had stopped off at a diner for food and to give Julian a chance to rest his eyes. He was finding it hard to concentrate on driving as he was heading towards exhausted. The only thing that was keeping him going was his last promise to his father.

"How do you think?" Alex asked as she looked up from the cup. "Some psycho just killed my parents."

"I know what you're going through." Julian told her.

"Yeah of course you do." Alex scoffed as she looked away.

"Hey look at me," Julian said as he frowned. Alex decided to obey and did. "I _do_ know what you're going through. That psycho killed my parents just yesterday. The only difference is I was able to say goodbye to my father."

"I'm sorry," Alex said in a small voice. "I didn't know."

"I know you didn't. So don't feel bad about it okay?" Julian replied.

"I just feel so bad," Alex said as tears began to slip from her eyes. "The last thing I said to my mom was horrible. I wish I could take it back and tell her that I love her."

"Hey it's okay," Julian said as he got out of his seat and moved to her side of the booth. He gently wrapped his arms around her and she sank against him as she cried. "You're parents would have known that you loved them and that you were upset because of what was going on at that time."

"It doesn't stop me from feeling like such a bitch." She said through her tears.

She clung to Julian tightly as her tears fell heavier. Several people in the diner they were in looked over at them curiously. Julian closed his eyes tiredly so that he didn't have to look at them as he stroked Alex's hair soothingly. He couldn't help but notice how soft it felt beneath his hand. He found himself hoping that he was able to keep her safe from whatever lay ahead.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Seattle, Washington**

"Are you okay?" Brooke asked Haley as she came out of a cubicle in the restroom looking a little peaky.

"Mmm hmm." she replied as she headed over to a sink. She switched the tap on, cupped some water in her hand and brought it to her mouth. She then rinsed her mouth and spat the water back out.

"Oh my God!" Brooke said as a smile broke out on her face. "You're totally pregnant."

"Yeah I am," Haley replied as she straightened. "I just found out yesterday. Mouth made me go and get a test because I didn't look well. He's promised not to tell Nathan until I've been to the doctor."

"Well I won't say anything either," Brooke assured her. "How long were you planning this one for?"

"We weren't," Haley replied. "It's as much of a surprise to me as it is to everyone else."

"How do you and Nathan get pregnant so easily?" Brooke asked curiously. "It took me ages to get pregnant with Sienna. We've been careless regarding protection countless times and there's been no baby from that. I'm kind of jealous."

"Well I've been vigorous in taking my birth control pills," Haley told her. "This happened because I was sick."

"Isn't that how you got pregnant with Jamie too?"

"Yeah." Haley confirmed as she took a deep breath. Another wave of nausea had crept over her.

"Why can't I have an overactive womb like you?" Brooke asked in a playful tone. "Sienna really wants siblings."

"I'm sure if you and Lucas try hard enough, then it'll happen," Haley told her. "No pun intended."

"Well we've been trying but as soon as we start, something always interrupts us." Brooke said with a frustrated sigh.

"When we get to San Fran, me and Nathan can watch Sienna for you if you want," Haley told her. "Then you and Lucas can make use of the do not disturb sign."

"Hales that would be awesome!" Brooke said as she smiled.

"Yeah well you'll owe me." Haley replied with a chuckle as the two of them headed back out of the restrooms to go and finish their breakfast.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Longview, Washington**

Alex concentrated hard on the road as she drove Julian's rental car. He was fast asleep in the passenger seat beside her. He had finally succumbed to his exhaustion about an hour previously. They were roughly two hours away from Seattle and Alex found herself getting more anxious the closer they came to their destination. It was now early evening and she dreaded to imagine what would be waiting for them when they reached where they were going. She found that it wasn't just fear that was growing more intense by the minute, but also excitement. There was a hint of trepidation lacing her too. She knew that if they all managed to survive until November 1st, she would finally be getting answers to something that had been plaguing her for a while.

**~X~X~X~X~**

**Des Moines, Washington**

The ramshackle car spluttered to a stop at the side of a quiet suburban street. The latest car that Dan had "borrowed" to help him on his quest had finally run out of gas. He smirked to himself as he opened the door and climbed out. He was near his target and he knew that he could make it there in time on foot. He estimated that it would take him several hours to walk the last 15 or 20 miles. That left him plenty of time to rest before he finished what he started 25 years ago.


	3. HALLOWEEN

**Hey lovely readers!**

**Thank you for the lovely reviews! They're greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoy this update! **

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**

**Leeese**

* * *

**Thursday, 31****st**** October 2013**

**Seattle, Washington**

"Trust it to rain today," Brooke said to Rachel as she looked out the window of her salon at lunch time. "I just hope that it doesn't ruin the hairstyles we've done for all those going to their parties tonight."

"Same here," Rachel agreed. "Although they should really bring an umbrella just in case."

"True," Brooke replied as she returned her attention back to the cash register. She was in the process of cashing up the days takings. "So what are your plans for tonight? Did you decide what you were going to do?"

"I'm just going to veg out on my sofa and watch scary movies while I eat the candy I got for trick or treaters," Rachel replied. "I'm not in the mood to go out partying."

"Did I just hear that right?" Brooke asked in a surprised tone. "Rachel Gatina _isn't_ going out partying on Halloween?"

"You sure did boss," Rachel replied with a grin. "I'm going to keep the curtains shut and ignore anyone who dares knock on my door. I already disconnected the doorbell."

"Well it's a good thing we're not taking Sienna trick or treating here then huh?" Brooke asked. "She was looking forward to getting candy off her aunt Rachel."

"She can get candy off my any day. What's so special about Halloween?"

"I told her that," Brooke admitted. "So she's looking forward to trick or treating in San Fran."

"You're so lucky getting a vacation paid for by the in laws at the last minute," Rachel said as she sighed. "I hope you think about me when you're off having fun with Lucas."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but when I'm having _fun_ with Lucas you'll be the last thing on my mind," Brooke told her as she chuckled. "And hopefully when we come back here, I'll be pregnant."

"Hang on a second! I thought you and Lucas were waiting a few years before you had any more?" Rachel asked in surprise.

"It'll probably take me a few years to get pregnant again; like it did before I got pregnant with Sienna," Brooke explained. "So we decided that we would start trying right away."

"When did you decide this? Wasn't it just the day before yesterday when you said that you were going to wait?"

"It was, but Lucas and I talked after we put Sienna to bed that night and that's when we decided," Brooke told her. "We just haven't really had the opportunity to do the baby making activity. Every time we start Sienna wakes up after having that nightmare. She had it again last night. Only this time she was actually screaming instead of just yelling for me."

"Really?" Rachel asked in a concerned tone. Brooke nodded. "Why is she having nightmares like that?"

"I wish I knew Rach," Brooke replied. "I think if it carries on we might have to take her to the doctor or something."

"Poor little SiSi," Rachel said in an affectionate tone. "Tell her that her aunt Rachel said that she'll kick the bad mans butt."

"I will, but I don't think it'll make any difference," Brooke told her as she put the last of the takings into the cash bag. "That's done finally. Are you sure that you don't mind taking it to the bank?"

"Of course not," Rachel told her. "You go and get your daughter and get packing for your trip. Promise me that you'll have _lots_ of _fun_ with Lucas."

"Oh don't worry, I intend to," Brooke told her as there was a knock on the salon door. Brooke looked over at it and smiled. "Well look who it is."

"His ears must have been burning," Rachel said as she went to unlock it. She opened it and Lucas walked in with Sienna. "Hey SiSi."

"Hi aunt Rachel!" Sienna greeted with a smile.

"Hi Rach," Lucas greeted before he headed over to Brooke. The two shared a loving kiss as a way of greeting. "Hey you."

"Hey back at you," Brooke replied. "This is a nice surprise you two turning up like this."

"Well I thought I'd pick Sienna up from pre-school and we could all head home together."

"Is it nearly time to go to Frisco?" Sienna asked her parents in a hopeful tone.

"Almost," Lucas replied as he pulled Brooke into his arms and hugged her. He rested his chin on top of her head as he looked over at Sienna. "We're gonna have lunch with everybody then make sure we have everything packed. And _then_ we'll all go to the airport."

"Cool!" Sienna said happily. "I never been on a plane before. Have you aunt Rach?"

"No I haven't," Rachel replied. "So how about you tell me what it's like when you get back. We could have one of our Disney Princess movie nights and eat lots of popcorn. We can turn it into a real girly sleepover so your parents can have the night off. What do you say?"

"That would be awesome!" Sienna said in a giddy tone. She looked over at her parents and asked. "Can I mommy? Pleeeeaaasse?!"

"Sure you can," Brooke replied. Sienna clapped happily and did a little happy dance. A trait she obviously got from her mother. Brooke mouthed 'thank you' to Rachel and was rewarded with a wide smile in response. "We'll bring you back an extra special present for that Rach."

"I can't wait," Rachel told them. "Now get going. I know how long it takes you to pack Brooke Davis. You don't want to miss that plane."

"Nuh uh mommy we don't!" Sienna said as she rushed over to her parents. She grabbed Brooke's hand and yanked it. "Come on. We gotta go."

"Okay we're going," Brooke said as she and Lucas separated. "Have a good Halloween Rach. We'll see you in a couple of days."

"You will! Have fun!"

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Are you sure that you made enough food?" Karl asked his wife as he surveyed the huge amount of food that was on the dining table in Brooke and Lucas's kitchen. "It looks like we're having a party."

"I just want to make sure we all have plenty to eat," Katherine told him. "Just in case."

"In case what?" Karl asked. She gave him a look that told him not to ask silly questions. "Honey, don't take this the wrong way, but it's been 25 years. Surely if Dan knew about us still being alive he would have come after us by now. Whitey did a good job in hiding us."

"What if he's just been biding his time to finish what he started?" she asked. "He knows about what happened with your parents before Lucas was born. He knows there's another member of his family out there. Even if he never finds out about us, he still knows about her."

"He doesn't know where she is though," Karl assured her. "Hell _we_ don't even know where she is. She's safe."

"God I hope she is," Katherine said in a sad tone. "I hope she never has to go through what that monster put us through."

"Me too." Karl told her as he embraced her. As he did the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that is. If it was Dina and Andy they'd come straight in."

"I'll go and see who it is and try and get rid of them," Karl said as they separated. He then headed out of the kitchen as she set about finishing the food. He reached the front door and opened it. Outside stood a man and a woman; he didn't recognize either. "Can I help you?"

"Karl Thorne?" the man asked. Karl gave him an inquisitive look as he continued speaking. "I'm Detective Julian Durham from Tree Hill, North Carolina. I was wondering if I could speak to you about something."

"What?" Karl asked before he swallowed hard.

"It'd be better to tell you inside." Julian told him.

"Now isn't a very good time."

"It's really important," Julian insisted. Karl still didn't seem like he was going to listen to anything that Julian had to say. So he decided to use his trump card. "Keith, my father asked me to come here and make sure that you, Karen and Deb are okay."

"Why?" Karl asked sounding worried. He wondered why Whitey had obviously told Julian who he really was.

"Dan escaped," Julian told him. "He killed my parents and found out where you are. We need to get you all someplace safe."

"You better come in then." Keith said as he stood back. Julian and Alex headed into the house. Keith took an uneasy look around before he closed the door and led them to the kitchen.

"Who is it honey?" Katherine asked as she looked over at the kitchen door.

"This is Julian Durham; Whitey's son," Keith told her softly. "He knows who we really are Karen."

"How?" Karen asked in a worried tone.

"It might be better if you're sitting." Julian said in a gentle tone. Karen and Keith shared a look before they reluctantly sat at the table.

"Please sit," Keith told Julian and Alex. Keith looked at her and added. "I'm sorry I didn't get your name."

"I'm Alex. Alex Dupree." She told him in a quiet tone.

"So how do you know who we are?" Karen asked. "And more importantly _where_ we are?"

"My father told me all about what happened with Dan on Halloween all those years ago. When I became a detective I read the police file on what happened. I then found out about you, Keith and Deb faking your deaths to get away," Julian began. "I then found out where you'd gone to and your new names. Two days ago, Dan killed my parents after managing to escape from the psych unit."

"Oh my God!" Karen said as her hand flew up to cover her mouth. Keith sat in a shocked silence.

"Before my dad died he told me all about the other matter he helped you with." Julian continued. Keith and Karen became even more shocked at the revelation.

"What did he tell you?" Keith managed to ask.

"Everything," Julian replied. "He even told me where to find her."

"Did you find her? Is she okay?" Karen asked in an urgent tone. "Dan didn't find her did he?"

"Yes I found her and Dan didn't hurt her." Julian answered as he looked at Alex.

"Oh thank God!" Karen said in a barely audible tone.

"He got to my parents though," Alex said. Karen and Keith gave her an alarmed look as she added. "Well my adoptive parents."

"It's you?" Karen asked in a disbelieving tone. Alex nodded not quite sure what to say. "They changed your name. They weren't supposed to do that."

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"We were assured that your name would be kept as Alice," Karen said as she began to get emotional. "The one thing I wanted to do for you that would be kept was your name. They promised me that it would stay the same."

"I didn't know that my name should have been the same," Alex replied. She hesitated for a moment before she asked. "Why did you give me away?"

"I didn't want to," Karen told her as she looked into Alex's eyes. "I wanted to keep you. We both did. My parents had died long before you were born and I was living with Keith and his family. They wanted me to have an abortion when they found out that I was pregnant with you, because I was only 16. But I told them I wasn't going to do that. They said I was far too young to be a mother and insisted that we didn't raise you. So when you were born they forced me and your father to give you away."

"It was one of the hardest things we've ever had to do," Keith told his daughter as his eyes filled with tears. "You were the cutest baby I'd ever seen and we fell in love with you the moment you were born. It hurt so much to have no choice in keeping you."

"We decided to call you Alice to honor my mother. Your middle name was Katherine to honor my Grandmother." Karen told her. Alex now had tears streaming down her face.

"So my name should have been Alice Katherine Scott?" Alex asked sadly. Karen nodded. "It was a pretty name. Thank you for not giving me something like Gertrude. My adoptive parents probably would have kept that."

"You're welcome," Keith said as he managed a smile. "When your uncle Dan stopped taking his medication and went on his killing spree; that was the only time that I was glad you weren't part of our family. We barely escaped from him. I wouldn't have been able to keep you safe from him and I couldn't have lived with that failure."

"When I heard about Dan Scott, I have to admit that I was glad that I wasn't there for that." Alex told him.

"When did you find out that you were adopted?" Keith asked.

"When I applied for my first passport," Alex replied. "I accepted the fact that I'd been adopted and was fine with it. But when I tried to find out who my real parents were I couldn't get anywhere. My adoptive parents wouldn't tell me anything and kept on insisting that they didn't know who you were or where you were from. But they had to have been lying."

"They might not have been," Karen told her. "We asked Whitey to take care of the adoption for us because we didn't want to know where you were then. It would have been too hard knowing where you were and not being able to go and see you."

"My dad never got the chance to tell me if he told them about your birth parents before he died." Julian told Alex softly.

"It's okay," Alex said before she took a deep breath. "So do I have any siblings?"

"You have a brother called Lucas," Karen told her. "I was 14 weeks pregnant with him when Dan did what he did. Luckily nobody knew that I was pregnant; except for Keith. Dan would have left me alone if I hadn't tried to save Keith and Deb."

"So Lucas is what, 4 years younger than me right?" Alex asked. Keith nodded in confirmation. "Does he know about me?"

"No he doesn't." Keith admitted in a quiet tone.

"He doesn't know about what happened that Halloween either," Karen added. "Although we're going to have to tell him everything now that Dan has escaped."

"What?!" an alarmed voice said from the kitchen doorway. The four people sat at the kitchen table looked over and saw two figures in the doorway. "Tell me that was some kind of sick joke."

"I'm afraid it isn't Deb," Karen told her. Deb's eyes widened at the use of her former name. "This is Julian Durham, Whitey's son. And Alex; the daughter Keith and I had to give away."

"You're shitting me?" Deb asked as she slumped into a chair. She was too shocked to keep standing. The four then shook their heads. "When did he escape?"

"Two days ago." Julian told her.

"_Two_ days ago?! And we're only just finding this out now?!" Deb asked. Andy rubbed her back soothingly. "For all we know he could be here in Seattle already. Why didn't you say anything earlier Julian?!"

"I got here as fast as I could," Julian told her. "Dan killed my parents, and then I had to get a flight. I found Alex and then her parents ended up dead. Then we had to drive from LA. If there had been a quicker way then I would have done it. And it's not the type of thing that you can really do over the phone."

"Whitey's dead?" Deb asked as her face paled. Julian nodded. "Well it's a good thing we're all going on vacation huh? Let's just hope that the kids get here real soon then we can get to the airport. I don't want to be hanging around here when that asshole arrives."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Wow look at all that food!" Jamie said as he saw the spread on the dining table.

"Are we having a party?" Sienna asked as she stood on her tip toes to try and see.

"Something like that," Andy replied. "Why don't you and Jamie get some grub and go and watch that Halloween show you wanted to see."

"Really?!" Jamie asked in a happy tone.

"Yeah really," Andy told him as he gave him and Sienna a smile. "Us grown ups need to sit and have a little talk."

"Mommy can you fill my plate up?" Sienna asked Brooke hopefully.

"Sure Pumpkin," Brooke replied as she and Lucas shared a quizzical look. "Do you want a bit of everything?"

"Yup!"

"You certainly showed her how to take advantage of a buffet," Nathan told his cousin. He then looked at Jamie and added. "I hope you plan on taking full advantage of all that food son."

"Don't worry dad, I will." Jamie told him as he added more food to the growing pile on his plate. Once Jamie and Sienna were sat in front of the TV in the lounge, the adults sat around the dining table.

"So what's going on?" Lucas asked as he saw the expressions of his parents, aunt, uncle and the newcomers. "Did somebody die?"

"Actually yes," Karen told him. She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "There's something that you, Nathan, Brooke and Haley need to know."

"And we need you to listen to everything we have to say before you ask us any questions." Keith added.

"Do you think you'll be able to do that?" Deb asked.

"We can try." Haley replied. Her expression was one of curiosity. She, Nathan, Brooke and Lucas listened as Karen began the tale.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Dan slowly made his way around Karen and Keith's house. He was both happy and annoyed that they weren't home. It gave him chance to see how they lived in their new lives. It also gave him ample opportunity to find out more about them. He hadn't been in the best mood when he had left Los Angeles. His failure in finding Alex made him even more determined to catch up with his brother. He planned to go back to Los Angeles to track Alex down. But finding Keith, Karen and Deb was his main priority.

He studied the pictures that were scattered around the lounge. There were plenty of them on the walls and freestanding frames on various items of furniture. He now knew that he had more family than just the ones he initially came after. After searching through numerous drawers he found what he was looking for; an address book. He grasped it in his hand as he picked up a set of car keys that were obviously for the van sat outside in the driveway. He then opened the address book and flipped to the name he required; Dina Hargrove. Her house was the next stop in the hunt for his family.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Is this some kind of joke?" Nathan asked his mother as he looked at her in disbelief. "You're telling me that I've been living a lie my entire life?"

"I'm sorry Nathan," Deb said in a pleading tone. "I was only trying to protect you from that monster."

"You mean the monster that's my biological father?" Nathan asked as he shook his head. He then looked at Andy and asked. "How could you raise me knowing that I wasn't your son?"

"It was easy," Andy told him. "I met your mother when she was six months pregnant with you. I was there when you were born and from the moment I held you, you were _my _son. Don't you ever think that I resented making the decision to raise you as my own; because I haven't. Not for a second."

"Not even now?" Nathan asked.

"Not even now," Andy confirmed. "So don't you go thinking that I don't love you any less just because I don't share DNA with you."

"That's so sweet." Haley said as she took hold of Nathan's hand.

"And it changes noting," Andy continued. "Just because that freak has decided to try and finish what he started, doesn't mean he'll be successful at finishing it. We'll all be out of Seattle in a few hours anyway."

"But who will stop him if we're not here?" Karen asked Andy.

"I'll stay," Keith said. "I'll put an end to this once and for all."

"I'll stay too," Andy added. "I'm sure we'll be able to manage finishing him off now that we're prepared."

"I'll be here too," Julian told them. "We'll take you guys to the airport and then wait for him at one of the houses."

"No," Karen replied. "I'm not having you do that. If you're staying then so am I."

"Me too," Deb agreed. "I want to see that monster put down with my own eyes. We've lived in fear of that asshole for the past 25 years. It's time we ended it once and for all."

"We should have made sure we did that all those years ago," Keith said as he felt the guilt begin to build up within him. "That way our children and grandchildren wouldn't be in danger now."

"Are you okay?" Brooke asked Lucas in a soft tone.

"I'm just a little shocked," Lucas replied. "I mean it's not everyday you find out that your uncle is a psychopath, that you have an older sister and your family aren't who they led you to believe."

"I'm so sorry Lucas," Karen told him. "You don't know how much I wish that you and Alex could have been brought up together. I had no control over what happened."

"I know mom," Lucas replied softly. "I don't blame you for any of what you did. Giving your daughter away was something you were forced to do and everything else was to protect me. But I want to stay and help you."

"So do I," Nathan added. "The more of us there are the better chance we have right? We get the girls and our kids out of here and then we plan what we're going to do."

"I'm not going anywhere," Alex insisted. "That freak killed my parents. I'm not running away like some loser."

"Trust me; if you stayed, you'd be wishing that you'd left when you had the chance," Deb told her bluntly. "It won't be a pleasant experience. And you might not even survive it."

"I know. I saw what he did to my parents with my own two eyes," Alex replied. "I'm staying and that's that."

"So you expect me, Brooke and the kids to leave our entire family behind when we know there's a psycho on the loose?" Haley asked as she frowned.

"Yes I do," Nathan told her. "You, Brooke, Sienna and our kids need to be as far away from here as possible."

"What do you mean our kids?" Haley asked as she swallowed.

"Come on Hales don't play dumb with me," Nathan told her. "I know you're pregnant. I'm not as dumb as people think I am. You've had all the symptoms you had when you were pregnant with Jamie."

"Are you pregnant?" Deb asked. Haley nodded. "Then you really need to get out of Seattle. You need to think of the children Haley."

"We could always go to Rachel's," Brooke suggested. "She's staying in tonight. We'll be safe there."

"Yeah we can do that," Haley said. "Then once this is all over, we can fly to San Fran together."

"That might work." Julian told them.

"What does he look like?" Brooke asked. "Does anybody have a picture? That way we can watch out for him and avoid him if we see him."

"There's one in the file," Julian said as he began to look through the file he had brought in with him. He found the picture and handed it to Brooke. "Obviously he's older now."

"His eyes look so cold," Brooke said as she shuddered. "It's like they're looking right through you."

"I agree." Lucas said as he took the picture and looked at it. Sienna came into the kitchen at that moment and made her way over to Brooke. Brooke picked her up and sat her in her lap.

"What are you doing in here Pumpkin?" she asked.

"Can I have another sammich?" she asked as she looked from Brooke to Lucas. "What ya looking at daddy?"

"Just a picture." Lucas replied.

"Can I see?" she asked as she reached out and grabbed it. She then brought it closer to her and looked at it. She let out a shriek and dropped it before she cuddled Brooke as tightly as she could.

"What's wrong SiSi?" Lucas asked worriedly as Brooke did her best to try and comfort Sienna. She was now crying softly. "Come on tell me Princess."

"It's the bad man from my dream." They heard her say in a muffled tone. The adults shared a shocked look at the revelation.

"I changed my mind; we're leaving Seattle like we planned," Brooke said as she stood. "And we're leaving _now."_


	4. HALLOWEEN part II

**Hey lovely readers! **

**Thank you all so much for the reviews and alerts I've received for this. This chapter would have been posted yesterday, but we had a power outage. Sorry about the delay. Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!**

**Leeese**

* * *

"Do you have everything you need?" Lucas asked Brooke as he finished putting the luggage in the car.

"Everything except you," Brooke told him as he closed the trunk. "Promise me that you'll be careful and not take any unnecessary risks."

"I promise," Lucas told her as he kissed her forehead. "I'll be at the motel with you and Sienna before you know it."

"Do you think it was him who broke into Deb and Andy's house and killed their dog?" Brooke asked as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I think it was," Lucas replied. "That's why we changed the travel plans just to be safe."

"I can't believe the bad man from Sienna's nightmares is Dan," Brooke said as she buried her face against his chest. "How did she even know what he looked like? She's never seen him before."

"I wish I knew Pretty Girl," Lucas said as he rubbed her back. "Hopefully after tonight that man will be nothing but a bad memory."

"Hopefully."

"I love you Brooke Davis." Lucas said after a few moments of silence.

"Don't you say that now," Brooke told him as she pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. "It sounds like you're saying goodbye."

"I'm not," he told her as he moved his hands and cupped her face. "I'm just letting you know that I love you. Just in case."

"I hope there will be many more times that I hear you say those words." Brooke told him sadly.

"I hope I get to say them many more times," Lucas told her. "I tell you one thing. _When_ I meet up with you tomorrow morning, we're setting a date to get married. Then I'll take you on honeymoon and we won't come back until you're pregnant."

"That sounds like heaven," Brooke replied as she managed a smile. "Sienna can be our flower girl."

"And she can stay with Naley while we're on honeymoon so they can see what it'll be like with two kids." Lucas added.

"What did you tell Sienna about you staying behind?" Brooke asked almost hesitantly.

"Me and Nathan told her and Jamie that we have to go and work on a last minute Halloween garden display," Lucas replied. ""I just hope I'm not covered in bruises and stuff when this is all done. I'll have a fun time explaining that to her."

"Me too," Brooke replied as the others came out of the house. Sienna came running up to them. "Hey Pumpkin. Are you gonna give your dad a hug before we head off?"

"Sure am mommy!" Sienna said as she held her arms up to Lucas. Lucas crouched and enveloped his daughter into a tight hug. "Daddy I need to breathe!"

"Sorry SiSi," Lucas replied as he loosened his hold on her. "That better?"

"Much. Do you really have to work daddy?"

"Unfortunately yes," Lucas told her as he sighed. "I'd much rather go trick or treating with you."

"Do you want me to trick or treat for you?" Sienna offered.

"Yes I'd like that a lot," Lucas told her as he grinned. "Then we can eat the candy for breakfast. What do you say?"

"Daddy you don't have candy for breakfast!" Sienna said in a shocked tone. "That would be cool though."

"Well maybe we can do that tomorrow morning," Brooke said. But it will be a one off."

"Cool!" Jamie said as he heard Brooke's words. "Can we do that too mom?"

"I suppose one occasion wouldn't hurt right?" Haley replied.

"No I think one occasion will be great," Nathan agreed. He then looked at Jamie and said. "Remember to get me some chocolate alright?"

"Sure will dad." Jamie promised as he hugged Nathan.

"Alright you guys, it's time to get going," Keith said as he surveyed their surroundings. He couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. He then saw his van parked a little way down the street and his blood ran cold. "You need to get going _now_."

"What's wrong?" Karen asked in a questioning tone. He indicated her to look in the direction of the van with his eyes. She subtly did and managed to suppress her gasp. "Yes you should go now. You don't want to get stuck in traffic do you?"

"Okay if you insist." Haley said as she and Jamie headed over to Brooke's car. Jamie and Sienna climbed into the back and Brooke and Haley made sure that their safety belts were secure before they climbed into the front.

"Have fun in San Francisco," Keith told them. He hoped that his voice didn't betray his alarm.

"We will," Haley said as she and Brooke shared a puzzled look. They knew it was better not to question why Keith was suddenly acting so strange. "We'll call you when we get there."

"You better." Karen told them. Both Brooke and Haley caught the anxiety in her tone. Brooke quickly started the car.

"See you in a few days." Brooke said before she pulled out of the drive. She then turned and headed in the direction that Keith's van was parked in.

"I thought Luke's dad said he left the van at home?" Haley asked as she saw it.

"He did," Brooke replied in a quiet tone. It then dawned on them why Keith had been acting so strange. "Okay we need to get another car."

"Yeah." Haley agreed.

"I'll drop you and the kids off at the car rental place and you can get a car," Brooke told her. "I'll drive to the airport and park there. Then you can come and pick me up."

"Good idea," Haley agreed. "Just be careful okay."

"I will," Brooke said. "You too."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Okay so why did Brooke just suddenly drive off like that?" Lucas asked in a confused tone after they had all headed back into the house.

"I left my van at home." Keith told him.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Nathan asked with a puzzled frown.

"It's now parked a few doors down from here," Keith told him in a worried tone. "That can only mean one thing."

"Dan found us." Deb said as she sat on the sofa. Her legs were suddenly feeling very shaky.

"What if he follows Brooke and Haley?" Nathan asked as he and Lucas began to head out of the room. They quickly headed back to the front door. Lucas opened it and the two of them were about to head outside when a figure stopped them.

"Hello boys," Dan said as he smirked. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Like hell we are." Lucas replied as he went to close the door. However, Dan was too quick for him and managed to step into the house before Lucas had even moved the door an inch.

"Now that's not a nice way to welcome your uncle is it Lucas?" Dan asked as he smirked.

"You are no relation of mine," Lucas told him in a defiant tone as he glared at him. "Not after what you tried to do to my parents."

"What did they ever do to you anyway?" Nathan asked. "Besides being unfortunate enough to be related to you."

"That's reason enough Nathan," Dan said as he turned his attention to him. He smirked as he added. "_Son_."

"Don't call me that," Nathan told him in a pissed tone. "I'm not your son. I never will be."

"It doesn't matter either way," Dan told him as he pushed Lucas backwards. He then closed the door. "You're all going to be dead before midnight. Then I'll go after the ones you tried to hide from me."

"You won't get the chance." Lucas told him in an angry tone.

"Oh I will," Dan said in a cocky tone. "And you won't be able to do anything about it because you'll be joining your grandparents."

"Leave them alone Dan!" Keith said as he came into the hallway. "The only reason you're here is to come after me."

"That's partly true," Dan told him as he looked over at him. "But you are not the last of my family. That would be the two children that got into the car."

"You leave them alone!" Both Nathan and Lucas said in unison.

"They're just kids!" Keith told his brother as he walked towards him. "What is so wrong in that head of yours that is making you do this?"

"You really want to sit down and have a chat?" Dan asked before he laughed. He pretended to think for a moment before he spoke again. "Why the hell not? You can all sit and listen to why I'm doing what I am. Now get in the living room before I forget chatting and start slashing."

Nathan and Lucas shared a look before they turned and began to head back towards the lounge. They figured that the longer they could stall Dan, the further away Brooke, Haley and the kids could get. Dan followed them and smirked as he pulled the knife out from his sleeve. He moved it to his right hand and made sure he gripped it firmly before he lifted his arm and swung.

The blade came down and the tip scratched down Lucas's left arm. Lucas let out a pained noise as he turned and clutched his arm. Nathan quickly spun and managed to duck as Dan headed in his direction. Dan crashed into the wall and somehow managed to recover quickly. Julian appeared in the hallway as he heard the commotion. His eyes widened as he saw Dan. He quickly pulled his gun from his holster and aimed it at Dan. He squeezed the trigger just as Dan grabbed Keith and pulled him in front of him.

Julian watched in horror as the bullet meant for Dan hit Keith in his shoulder. The next thing Julian knew was Keith was colliding with him and Dan was running back out of the doorway as the two of them fell to the floor. Julian carefully pushed Keith off him and got up from the floor. He ran after Dan as Karen, Deb and Alex came out into the hallway. Karen quickly began to help her husband as Alex went over to Lucas to help him.

"We need to get you to a hospital." Karen said as she looked at Keith's wound.

"No," Keith told her. "You can see to it. You're qualified."

"I'm qualified to work on animals." Karen reminded him.

"It's the same technique right?" Keith asked. "We can go to your clinic and you can do it there."

"Lucas will need stitched too." Alex said as she looked at his arm.

"I don't know where he went," Julian said as he returned. He was breathless and bent over with his hands on his knees. "I heard tires screeching so he's probably in a car."

"Mom we need to get patched up so we can go after him," Lucas told Karen. "And we need to make sure Brooke, Haley and the kids are okay."

"Okay," Karen replied as an idea came into her head. "I can pick some things up from there that might come in handy for stopping Dan Scott once and for all."

**~X~X~X~X~**

Brooke waited impatiently for Haley to pull up at their designated meeting spot. Haley had called her after she had been issued the rental car and they had arranged to meet at the drop off point at the airport. Brooke made sure to keep a look out for any sign of Dan. She finally saw the car that Haley had told her was the rental as it pulled up in front of her. She rushed over to it and climbed in the front passenger seat.

"Hey mommy!" Sienna greeted.

"Why did we change cars?" Jamie asked.

"I uh, had to bring mine here so that it was ready for when we flew back." Brooke said as Haley merged with the traffic.

"Mommy can we stop for ice cream?" Sienna asked hopefully.

"Yeah we should stop for ice cream," Jamie agreed. "Seeing as though we can't have our candy until breakfast."

"We'll stop off at a diner on the way to the motel okay?" Brooke told them.

"Yes!" Sienna and Jamie said in unison as they shared a high five.

"After this is all over, I'm making Jamie eat salad for the next month." Haley said as she managed a smile.

"I think I'll be doing the same with Sienna." Brooke replied as she returned the smile.

"Let's just hope that this drive has no more unexpected surprises." Haley said as she sighed.

"Yeah," Brooke agreed. "And that things don't go wrong with that work that the guys have to do."

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Did anybody ask what you were doing in here?" Keith asked Karen as she came back into her office at the veterinarian clinic she owned and ran.

"No. But I told them I had some paperwork to do that I forgot about," Karen replied. "You do know that this is going to hurt right?"

"I know," Keith replied. "I'm getting a feeling of déjà vu here."

"Only this time it's a bullet wound instead of a stab wound." Karen added.

"What things did you get that might stop Dan?" Lucas asked as he looked up from inspecting his freshly bandaged arm.

"Pentobarbital," Karen told him. Lucas's expression revealed he had no idea what that meant. "It's what we use to euthanize animals. It's also used as a way to kill people on death row."

"I see," Lucas replied. "But doesn't that mean you have to get real close to give him that?"

"It does," Karen confirmed as she continued to work on Keith's wound. "But it'll be worth it once he's dead."

"How much are you going to give him?" Keith asked.

"Way more than is necessary," Karen replied. "I've got the largest hypodermic needles I can get my hands on and I plan on injecting him right in the heart. I'm going to stick about four together for that so it's like one huge injection. I also plan on injecting him in his neck too."

"Do you want me to help get those syringes ready?" Lucas asked.

"That would be great," Karen told him. "Everything is in my purse, so that nobody would see what I was getting. Just fill the syringes up until they're full then put the safety caps on them. Then you can tape them together for me."

"Okay," Lucas replied as he headed over to her purse. "Will we get into trouble for this?"

"Maybe," Karen admitted. "But I'll take full responsibility. Put on some latex gloves before you mess with anything. That way only my fingerprints will be on them."

"Mom you can't take the blame," Lucas said as he looked over at his mother in shock. "You'll go to jail."

"I'd rather go to jail and know that you, Brooke and Sienna are safe than not finish that asshole off and have the risk of him coming back again," Karen told him. "Anyway I can always claim self defense."

"Which is what it is," Keith pointed out. "I'm sure that any jury would be giving a not guilty verdict once they heard the entire story."

"Dad's right," Lucas said as he pulled on a pair of gloves. "They can't exactly paint him as the model, law abiding citizen can they?"

"Exactly. That's why I'm not thinking twice about doing this," Karen replied. "The things that monster has done are too horrible for words."

"Let's just hope we can find him before he manages to add any more people to his body count." Keith said. Karen and Lucas silently agreed as they continued with their tasks.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"You know this road is kinda creepy now," Haley said as she drove along a quiet road. It was a short cut to their motel and Haley had wished that she had now stuck to the main roads. It passed through a section of woodland and now the sun had set it looked eerie. "I've also got that feeling that we're being followed."

"I think that's just your mind playing tricks on you," Brooke replied as she checked on Jamie and Sienna in the back seat. Jamie was playing on his portable games console and Sienna was playing with her favorite teddy bear. "Especially after what we found out earlier."

"Yeah I think you're right." Haley agreed.

"Mommy are we there yet?" Sienna asked in a bored tone. "I wanna go trick or treating."

"Almost SiSi," Brooke replied. "It's about another 20 minutes drive."

"We've been sat in here for _aaages_," Sienna said with a dramatic sigh. "Why have we been driving so long?"

"We went the scenic route," Haley answered. "And I got a little lost in the process."

"Silly Aunt Haley!" Sienna said as she shook her head.

Brooke and Haley shared a glance and managed a smile. They had driven around randomly taking different routes, just in case they were being followed by Dan. They were glad when it became clear that he wasn't following them. Haley moved her eyes back to the road as they went around a bend. Haley gasped and swerved the car when she saw that a fallen tree partially blocked the road.

As she did, a figure stepped out from behind the tree and caused Haley to drive off the road and into the woods. The car came to a stop amidst a small group of trees. The front crumpled in as did the drivers door. Jamie and Sienna screamed with terror. Haley's airbag inflated and she felt her face hit it almost painfully. Brooke grunted as her seatbelt tightened and cut into her torso.

"Is everybody okay?" Brooke asked after a few moments.

"Yeah I'm fine," Haley replied. "Jamie are you okay?"

"Yeah," Jamie replied sounding shaken up. "I didn't hit anything."

"Sienna are you hurt?" Brooke asked her daughter as she took her seatbelt off. She then opened the door and gingerly climbed out. She moved to the back passenger door and opened it. Sienna looked at her with scared eyes as she clutched her bear tightly. "Are you hurt?"

"No mommy," Sienna said in a quiet voice. Her bottom lip quivered as she added. "The bad man was behind the tree."

"What?!" Brooke asked in an alarmed tone as she looked around them. There was no one else to be seen. "Alright let's get you out of here."

Brooke freed Sienna from her car seat and lifted her out of the car. She placed her down and Sienna stood close to the car as Brooke went back into the car to free Jamie. He scrambled from the back of the car and stood right next to Sienna. He took hold of her hand as he did. The two of them then kept watch for any movement as Brooke went to help Haley.

"My seatbelt is stuck!" Haley said in an exasperated tone. "That's just great."

"I have some scissors in my luggage," Brooke said as she remembered the nail scissors in her manicure set. "I'll be right back."

"Brooke if you see _him_ before you find them, take Jamie and Sienna and run," Haley told her. "Don't worry about me. Just keep Jamie safe for me."

"Hales!" Brooke said in a shocked tone.

"Please Brooke," Haley begged. "I couldn't live with myself if Dan got him because you were trying to get me out. Promise me you'll get him as far away from him as possible."

"I promise," Brooke told her as she quickly made her way to the trunk. She opened it and began to look for her luggage. She was relieved there was enough light left for her to see what she was doing. She opened her case and rummaged around for her manicure set. She found it and was about to make her way back to Haley when Sienna screamed. "Sienna?!"

"Mommy the bad man!" Sienna shrieked as Brooke came back round the side of the car. Her heart began to pound as she saw the outline of an ominous looking figure. She quickly headed to the passenger door and looked at Haley.

"He's here," she said as she handed her the manicure kit. "I'll get them somewhere safe. I promise."

"Hopefully I won't be too far behind," Haley said as she opened the manicure kit. "Tell Jamie and Nathan that I love them."

"I promise. Be safe Hales," Brooke said as she gave her friend an emotional look. She then quickly moved away from the car and went to Jamie and Sienna. Dan was almost halfway to them. "I need you two to run as fast as you can okay?"

"Okay." Jamie replied.

"Momma you carry me?" Sienna asked. Brooke quickly picked her up and she and Jamie set off running into the woods. Brooke knew exactly where they were and she began to head in a direction where she knew they could hide. She just prayed that Haley was able to get free before Dan reached her.

Haley cut through the seatbelt at remarkable speed. She was surprised at how quick it had been considering her tool of choice was nail scissors. She then used the scissors to deflate the airbag, so that she had more room to get out of the drivers seat and crawl out of the passenger door. She climbed out of the car and expected Dan to grab her instantly. However, she was surprised to see that he was nowhere in sight. She had seen the direction that Brooke had taken the kids and debated whether or not to go in the same direction. She decided against it and began to head in the opposite direction. She found herself hoping that Dan was following her instead of Brooke, Jamie and Sienna.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Are you sure he'll come back here?" Alex asked as they all gathered in Deb and Andy's house.

"He'll come here." Keith said in a sure tone.

"Has everybody got a weapon?" Julian asked. He was met with a round of affirmative answers. Beside each of them having a weapon to defend themselves, they each had a couple of syringes of pentobarbital. Karen had decided to have them have those on them as a back up.

"So do we just wait?" Nathan asked. He hated to admit it but he was nervous. He didn't remember ever being as nervous as he was right then. Even his hands were shaking.

"That's all we can do right now," Deb told him. "We should use this waiting time to rest so that we're ready for when he gets here."

"Your mom's right," Keith told Nathan. "It's mentally and physically tiring defending yourself against him. We all should take the time to rest. We'll have one person on watch and we'll switch every half hour."

"He can't get in without making a noise," Andy added. "So even if the person on watch falls asleep, Dan getting in here will wake everyone up."

"I told you watching Home Alone would come in handy one day." Lucas said as he tried to lighten the atmosphere. Nathan, Alex and Julian managed a chuckle, but their parents remained quiet.

"Somehow I don't think Lego will slow Dan down that much." Keith remarked.

"Stepping on Lego hurts like a bitch," Nathan told him. "It could distract him long enough for him to get a dose of pentobarbiedoll."

"We should go for his knees," Alex said. "I saw in some horror movie I watched that this crazy guy cut knee tendons so that people could only crawl."

"If we're going for that kind of option, then we should get a sledgehammer and kneecap him." Julian suggested.

"Damnit!" Lucas said as he frowned. "The amount of gardening equipment me and Nate have would have come in handy; especially the chainsaw and the tree lopper."

"What about the log chipper?" Nathan suggested. "Once he's been dosed up we could shove him in that."

"Should I be worried about you two?" Deb asked as she gave them a worried look. "Whatever Dan has wrong with him doesn't run in the family does it?"

"Don't worry mom." Nathan told her.

"We're just thinking of ways to end this nightmare once and for all." Lucas added.

"He can't come back if he's in pieces." Julian said.

"He can't come back if he's had the amount pentobarbital that it would take to kill an entire heard of elephants either." Karen added.

"Still the tree lopper might be handy," Andy said after a few moments of silence. "Where are they?"

"In our workshop." Lucas replied.

"We'd have to go and get them." Nathan added.

"Nobody is going anywhere…" Keith told them.

"I have a sledgehammer in the basement," Andy said. "I'll go and get that. It won't hurt to have it up here just in case."

"I'll go and get it with you," Julian said. "Safety in numbers right?"

"Right." Andy agreed as he and Julian headed to get the sledgehammer.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Aunt Brooke I need to rest." Jamie said in a breathless tone. They had been running for almost thirty minutes. Brooke had to admit that she was now getting short of breath.

"Alright," Brooke said in a quiet tone as she surveyed the area. She saw a large tree stump that was overgrown with weeds. "Alright go and hide behind there."

The three of them headed over to the tree and Jamie sat down on the leave strewn floor behind it. Brooke put Sienna down and she sat beside him. Brooke then sat down herself and saw that the stump hid the children, but not her.

"Where's my mom?" Jamie asked softly.

"I don't know Jamie," Brooke replied honestly. "She asked me to keep you safe and that's what I'm going to try and do. I did make your mom a promise after all."

"I hope she's okay." Jamie said in a sad tone. Brooke felt the guilt building up within her about leaving Haley behind.

"Alright listen to me you two," Brooke told them in a whisper. "If the bad man catches me, then the two of you have to run as fast as you can and get help alright?"

"Mommy!" Sienna said as her bottom lip began to quiver.

"Ssh sweetie," Brooke told her as she stroked her cheek. "I'm going to try my best to stay away from the bad man. But if he does get me, then you two need to know what to do."

"Okay Aunt Brooke." Jamie said sounding remarkably calm. Brooke gave him a surprised look.

"Do you know where we are?" she asked.

"Uh huh, we near the swings," Sienna said. She pointed as she spoke. "They're that way."

"That's right they are," Brooke told her as she realized Sienna was right. She had momentarily lost her bearings. "And the police station isn't too far away from the swings huh?"

"Nope!" Jamie confirmed.

"Alright, so if the bad man catches me then the two of you have to run as fast as you possibly can and go to that police station," Brooke told them. "And you tell the policemen that the bad man is called Dan Scott and he's chasing you."

"Dan Scott." Jamie said as he stored the name to his memory.

"And you tell them to look that name up on their system. If it doesn't show up you tell them that Dan is from Tree Hill, North Carolina. Then they should find what they're looking for." Brooke continued.

"Tree Hill. Got it!" Jamie said. Brooke gave him a smile as she said.

"Are you sure you're only 6? You seem a lot smarted than a 6 year old."

"Yup I'm 6 Aunt Brooke." Jamie replied as they heard the sounds of twigs snapping beneath footsteps.

"Okay there's a change of plan. You two run to where I told you now okay?" she whispered urgently. Jamie nodded as he stood. He then helped Sienna up and held her hand. "Look after each other okay?"

"Mommy?" Sienna questioned in a scared tone.

"I know Pumpkin," Brooke said as she gave each of them a brief hug. "Go!"

She watched as Jamie and Sienna set off running towards the swings. She then stood and stepped out from behind the tree stump. She hoped that what she was about to do wasn't in vain.

"Dan Scott!" she yelled as she picked up an old tree branch. "I'm here. Come and get me!"

"Now this is an interesting turn of events," Dan said as he stepped out from behind a tree. "Sacrificing yourself for the children are you? How noble. It should take me all of a minute to dispose of you. Then I'll catch up with them within seconds."

"You won't get anywhere near those kids." Brooke said as she increased her grip on the branch.

She saw the glint of the knife blade in the moonlight as Dan came towards her. He smirked as she swung the branch. He easily avoided it and the momentum caused her to stumble forward slightly. Dan brought the knife up and it sank into Brooke's abdomen. She let out a surprised gasp as she felt the blade sink into her. The surprise had caused her voice to abandon her. She heard Dan chuckle as he slowly pulled the knife out.

"You know I'm not wasting my time on you. You're not even part of my family. You don't have my bloodline running through your veins," Dan told her. "You're just an outsider who is in insignificant distraction. That's why you get to live. Well you will if you get to the hospital quick enough."

Brooke tried to speak, but was still unable to get her words out. She fell to the floor as the pain overwhelmed her. Dan's sadistic chuckle echoed in her ears as he stepped over her and casually walked in the direction that Jamie and Sienna had gone.


	5. HALLOWEEN part III

**Hey lovely readers!**

**Thanks for all the reviews! Here's the final part of this mini story. Hope you enjoy it!**

**Leeese**

* * *

"Alright, alright I'm coming," Rachel yelled as she made her way to her door. The insistent knocking continued as she did. She opened the door and was almost knocked over as Sienna came running into her house. "Sienna?!"

"Close the door!" Sienna said in an urgent tone.

"What's going on?" Rachel asked as she closed the door. She saw that Sienna was crying almost hysterically and clutched her bear tightly. "Hey what's going on?"

"The bad man got mommy!" Sienna managed before she began to cry heavier.

"Bad man?" Rachel asked in a puzzled tone.

"The nightmare man," Sienna told her as she hiccupped. Rachel crouched in front of her and gathered her into a hug. "Mommy told us to go to the policemen but I couldn't cross the road."

"Who's us?" Rachel asked softly.

"Jamie."

"Where's Jamie?" Rachel asked in an alarmed tone.

"I don't know," Sienna answered as more tears fell down her face. "I lost him."

"Oh SiSi," Rachel said in a soft tone. "Where did the bad man get mommy?"

"In the woods near swings," she replied as she clung to Rachel. "She hit him with a stick and fell over."

"Why aren't you in San Francisco?" Rachel asked.

"Daddy and Uncle Nathan gotta work. Me, mommy, Jamie and Aunt Haley were going to motel," Sienna explained in a rush. "Then the bad man stopped us."

"Okay what do I do now?" Rachel muttered to herself as she continued to console Sienna. Every instinct she had told her to go and help Brooke. However, when she thought of Sienna talking about the bad man, a shiver of fear ran down her spine. She then wondered where Jamie had gotten to. She also noticed that Sienna hadn't mentioned anything about Haley. "What happened to Haley?"

"She was stuck in the car," Sienna told her. "Mommy was getting scissors when the bad man came back."

"Who is the bad man Sienna?"

"Dan Scott," Sienna answered. "Mommy said he from Tree Hall."

"Tree Hall?" Rachel asked with a puzzled frown. She then thought; _where the hell is that_?

"Uh huh." Sienna confirmed. Rachel noticed that her tears had stopped then and pulled back to look at her.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up a little huh?" Rachel asked. "Then we'll go and see the policemen and you can tell them what your mommy told you to. How does that sound?"

"Okay," Sienna said as she wiped at her face. "Can I get a drink please Aunt Rachel?"

"Of course you can." Rachel said as she stood. She then took hold of Sienna's hand and led her to the kitchen.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"Jamie slow down," Mouth said as he tried to make sense of what Jamie was trying to tell him. "You were in a car accident?"

"Yeah, then we were chased by Dan Scott," Jamie told him breathlessly. He had run straight to Mouth and Millie's house after getting separated from Sienna. He had begun to head to the police station but he had seen Dan and decided to change his destination. "He's from Tree Hill, North Carolina. Aunt Brooke said I had to tell the policeman that but Dan was near the police station so I ran here. I lost Sienna."

"Okay," Mouth said in a reassuring tone. "Where's your mom and Aunt Brooke?"

"My mom is in the car. Her seat belt is stuck and she couldn't get out. She made Aunt Brooke get us away from the crazy man," Jamie told him. "Aunt Brooke got us near the swings and told us to go to the police station. Then he caught her and she fell to the ground."

"Oh my God!" Millie said as she and Mouth shared a worried look. "Where did Sienna go Jamie?"

"I don't know," Jamie replied as he began to cry. "We hid because we heard somebody and then I lost her. I was supposed to look after her. What if the crazy man has her? It's my fault."

"Jamie none of this is your fault," Mouth assured him. "I tell you what we'll do. We'll take you to the police station so you can tell them. Then they can look for this Dan guy and go and get your mom and Aunt Brooke."

"Maybe we'll find Sienna on the way." Millie suggested.

"But she'll be all by herself," Jamie said. "It's dark. She'll be scared. I was supposed to protect her."

"We'll find her Jamie," Mouth told him. "And she's a smart kid for her age. She'll have found somewhere safe to go. She's probably at the police station as we speak."

"I hope she is," Jamie replied. "Can we go and find out?"

"Sure we can," Mouth said as he and Millie pulled on their jackets. "You're coming with us?"

"I'm not staying here by myself when there's a psychopath on the loose." Millie told him as she picked up the car keys.

"Fair enough." Mouth said as the three of them headed towards the door.

Millie was in front, followed by Mouth and then Jamie. Millie opened the front door and stepped outside. No sooner had she set foot out of the door, Dan appeared. She let out a gurgling noise as he stabbed his knife into her belly repeatedly. He was getting tired of chasing his family around and Millie was now on the receiving end of his pent up frustration. Mouth watched in horror and stood frozen in fear as he could only watch Dan stab his wife. Jamie shrieked in terror as he turned and ran from the lounge and to the kitchen where the back door was.

Dan looked at Millie's eyes and saw that they now looked lifeless. He smirked as he stopped his actions and unceremoniously dumped her body in the front doorway. Mouth still stood frozen unable to tear his eyes away from the horrific scene in front of him. Dan continued to smirk as he stepped towards Mouth.

"I only kill people I'm not related to when I'm _really _pissed off. Now I've got it out of my system, you're going to get off pretty easy in comparison," Dan told him as he stopped in front of him. He brought the knife up and held it in front of Mouth's face before he stabbed him in the abdomen. "And I'll make sure that you live, so you can feel the guilt of not being able to save her.

Dan removed the knife and Mouth sank to his knees as he clutched at his stomach. Blood seeped through his hands as Dan left the room and headed into the kitchen. He saw that the back door was open. He headed over to it and stopped out into the night. He saw that the gate at the rear of the garden was ajar. He smirked as he headed over to it and through it. There was only one way that Jamie could have gone. Dan set off in that direction and kept his eyes peeled for any movement in case Jamie had decided to hide.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"I don't like this," Keith said as he paced backwards and forwards in Deb and Andy's living room. "He should have been here by now. Something isn't right."

"What if he went after Brooke and Haley?" Alex suggested, speaking the words that Lucas and Nathan were both thinking.

"One of them would have called if that had happened." Deb said.

"What if they didn't have the chance to?" Julian asked. Nathan and Lucas shared an alarmed look at his words.

"I'm going to call the motel and see if they checked in," Lucas said as he pulled his cell phone out. He found the number and pressed call as he headed into the hallway. After speaking to the receptionist he ended the call and headed back into the lounge. Everyone gave him an expectant look as he did. "They haven't checked in yet."

"What?!" Nathan asked in an alarmed tone as he stood. "We need to get out there and look for them. Anything could have happened."

"I agree with Nate," Lucas said as his mind raced with the worst possible scenarios. "If anything happens to Brooke or Sienna, I'll never forgive myself for sitting around here like a scaredy cat."

"We're going," Nathan said in a firm tone as he and Lucas headed towards the door. "Nothing is going to make me stay here while Hales and Jamie are out there."

"There are enough people here for the plan to still work." Lucas remarked.

"I don't like the thought of you being out there by yourselves." Karen told him.

"Then you know exactly how I feel about Sienna and Brooke being out there." Lucas told her in reply.

"Just be careful," Keith told him. "We'll call you if Dan comes here and we've carried the plan out."

"Okay," Lucas replied. "We'll call you if there are any developments."

"Call us if they turn up here too alright?" Nathan added.

"We will." Andy assured him.

"Alright, let's go." Lucas said. Nathan nodded and the two of them left the lounge. Andy followed them so that he could secure the door once they had left.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Rachel made her way along the sidewalk with Sienna in her arms. She kept a look out for any sign of the bad man Sienna had described to her. She was both thankful and creeped out that she and Sienna were the only ones on the street.

"Okay it's not too much further to the police station," Rachel said. The eerie quietness was getting to her. "It's just a few more blocks."

"Do you think my mommy is okay?" Sienna asked.

"I don't know SiSi," Rachel replied honestly. "I do know that your mom is stubborn and feisty. So whatever the bad man did to her, she's not going to give up easily."

"I want my mommy." Sienna said in a sad tone.

"I know you do Pumpkin," Rachel replied as she rubbed her back. "I'll get you to her as soon as I can. I promise."

"Rachel!" a voice called from behind them. Rachel stopped and turned round.

"Jamie?!" Rachel asked as she saw a small figure running towards her. "Where'd you get to kiddo?"

"I went to Mouth's house," Jamie said in a breathless tone as he stopped in front of her. "The bad man turned up. He hurt Millie so I ran."

"Oh my God!" Rachel said as she saw a figure further down the street. "Come on kids. We need to get to the police station ASAP. Do you think you can run some more Jamie?"

"Uh huh." Jamie said as they set off running. Dan followed them and quickened his pace as he did.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"I never thought I'd say this but I'm glad we ran into Chris Keller," Nathan said as Lucas drove them along the road that led into the woods. "Or that I'm glad he eavesdrops on peoples conversations."

"Me too," Lucas agreed. "But if it wasn't for him then we wouldn't have found out that the girls decided to take the shortcut through the woods."

"It sounds like something from a typical horror movie." Nathan remarked.

"Well we're kind of experiencing a plot from one right now." Lucas replied. Both made sure to keep their eyes peeled for any sign of Brooke, Haley and the kids.

"That's true," Nathan agreed as he saw movement in the trees. "Luke pull over. I just saw something."

"Alright." Lucas said as he pulled the car over and switched the engine off.

He and Nathan climbed out of the car after they had grabbed the flashlights from the glove box. They made their way to the border of trees and stepped into the woods. They both switched their flashlights on and began to look for what could have caused the movement. Both felt a little more confident when they placed their free hand on the gardening knives they had strapped around their waists.

They heard the snapping of twigs to their right and began to move in that direction. Their footsteps were slow and careful. They saw a shape dart behind a tree and shared a look. The silhouette was too small to be Dan. They made their way over to it and stepped round to see what was there. They each took a different side so that whoever was there couldn't get away. Nathan shone his light on the person and was relieved to see that it was Haley.

"Thank God!" Nathan said as he quickly embraced her in a tight hug. "Where's the others?"

"I don't know," Haley said as she clung to him. "There was a tree and we had an accident. I couldn't get out the car and Dan turned up. I told Brooke to get Jamie and Sienna away so she did."

"Why are you running around in the woods?" Lucas asked.

"I heard a car coming and left the road in case it was Dan," she explained. "Then I got disorientated and didn't know which direction I was going in."

"Which way did Brooke go?" Lucas asked.

"I'm not sure," Haley said. "But if we find where we crashed I can point you in the direction that I saw them going."

"Alright let's do that." Nathan said as he took his jacket off and gave it to Haley. She quickly put it on before the three of them headed back to the car.

**~X~X~X~X~**

"You know it would be a lot easier if people like you stopped getting in my way," Dan said to Rachel as he looked at her prone figure on the floor at his feet. They were one block from the police station. "Now I have to go after those brats yet again. You're lucky I'm not finishing you off."

"Leave them alone!" Rachel said as she clutched her belly.

"How about you zip it?" Dan asked before he kicked her. Rachel let out a pained noise as his foot connected with her chest. She then began to wheeze. "That should shut you up for a bit."

Dan then turned and headed in the direction that he had seen Sienna and Jamie run. He rounded a corner and smirked as he saw them hurrying along a few meters away. It was clear to see that they were getting tired. He speeded his steps up; he didn't want another obstacle getting in his way. He was so intent on his target that he didn't pay attention when he was going past an alleyway. He had almost passed it when a figure emerged. They raised their hand and sank the large shard of broken glass into Dan's back. He let out a yell and fell to the floor. He quickly turned to look at his assailant. He was surprised at who he saw.

"I'm thinking that I should have killed you," he said as he slowly rose to his feet. "You're more of a problem than I estimated."

"You think that just because I'm a woman and small that I would just let you go after my daughter and nephew?" Brooke asked as she glared at him.

"I'm surprised you haven't bled to death yet actually." He said as he smirked and surveyed the large bloodstain on her sweater.

"Don't you worry yourself about me," Brooke told him. "You just worry about yourself Danny boy."

"Why should I have to worry about me? Nobody can stop me. Anyone who has tried has failed miserably," Dan replied confidently. "I'd tell you to ask them, but they're kind of dead."

"Just like you will be when we're done with you," A male voice said from behind him. Before Dan could turn to see who it was he felt a piercing sensation in his neck. He let out a grunt as he felt a burning sensation under his skin as the person injected whatever was in the syringe. "How does it feel to be on the receiving end dear brother?"

"Keith?" Dan asked in a questioning tone.

"Got it in one," Keith said as he removed the syringe. Karen then appeared in front of Dan. He saw the syringes in her hand that Lucas had prepared and didn't have time to blink before she stabbed them into his chest and pressed the plunger. She looked him right in the eye as the pentobarbital took effect. "I hope you rot in hell for what you did."

Keith stepped away from Dan and let him fall to the floor as his heart stopped. Keith, Karen and Brooke watched as all signs of life left the monster that had made their lives hell. Brooke fell to the floor as she clutched her belly. She has used her belt and tank top to make a temporary dressing on the stab wound Dan had inflicted. It had stemmed the flow of blood to a trickle so she had been able to go and look for Sienna and Jamie.

"Mommy!" Sienna yelled as she came running over to her. She had hold of Lucas's hand as she did. He took one look at Brooke and immediately went into panic mode.

"We need to get Brooke to the hospital!" he yelled as he scooped her into his arms. She made a pained noise as he did.

"Aunt Rachel needs to go there too," Sienna said. "The bad man got her round there."

"Where?" Andy asked.

"I'll show you Grandpa." Jamie said as he began to lead the way.

"You'll tell the cops that we're at the hospital right when Deb brings them here?" Lucas asked his parents.

"We will." Keith assured him. Karen continued to look down at Dan's lifeless body with a guilty expression.

"Mom you won't get punished," Lucas told her. "If anything you'll get a thank you. You'd have saved the government a fortune in legal fees and having Dan in jail by skipping the trial and giving him the lethal injection."

"I hope so," Karen said as she looked at him. "Hurry up and get Brooke to the hospital. We can talk about this another time."

Lucas nodded as he began to head to the car where Nathan, Haley and Jamie were waiting. Sienna followed her parents closely. Andy came back round the corner carrying Rachel and followed Lucas to the car. Lucas, Sienna and Brooke sat in the back with Jamie and Rachel, while Nathan and Haley were in the front. As Nathan was pulling away from the curb the police finally arrived. The occupants of the car knew it would be a long night of making statements, but they were all relieved that they had managed to survive the monster that was Dan Scott.

**~X~X~X~X~**

Brooke, Rachel and Mouth were kept in hospital for several days for observation. They had been lucky that the stab wounds Dan had inflicted hadn't damaged any major internal organs and the injuries had been pretty easy for the doctors to treat. Rachel had also ended up with some broken ribs from when Dan had kicked her.

Jamie and Sienna had suffered terrifying nightmares after the ordeal and had been offered counseling. Sienna hadn't wanted to leave Brooke's bedside and it had been a battle to get her to her first counseling session. She had only settled once Jamie had assured her that Dan wasn't going to come after them ever again. The two of them had then begun joint counseling sessions.

Dan's funeral was a week after Halloween. They all attended to make sure that they saw him burn and to give them closure. Afterwards they decided not to scatter his ashes and had decided to dispose of them in the trash. None of them wanted any part of Dan near them. Millie's funeral was held a couple of days later. Rachel and Brooke had helped him plan it. Rachel supported him through the emotional service and helped him finish the eulogy he wrote when he broke down in tears and could no longer talk.

Nathan had been worried that Haley might miscarry after the car accident and the stress of Halloween night. He had fussed around her while she had been on bed rest that the doctor had ordered as a precautionary measure. Nathan was relieved when they had had a sonogram the day after Dan's funeral and had discovered that everything was going great with the pregnancy. They had also discovered that Haley was 10 weeks pregnant.

Brooke spent most of her recovery time planning hers and Lucas's wedding. She didn't care about having a lavish ceremony; she just wanted him to be her husband. Once the news about Dan had circulated, a client of Nathan and Lucas's had offered their lavish gardens as the location for their wedding. Brooke and Lucas had graciously accepted the offer and they had had a simple ceremony a few days before Thanksgiving. They had refrained from having a honeymoon as they hadn't wanted to leave Sienna.

The salon Brooke owned remained closed for a while, as neither she nor Rachel was in any fit state to work. Christmas arrived and neither had gone back to the salon. Brooke decided to sell the business on the very day that she discovered she was pregnant. She had told Lucas on Christmas Eve and he had been overjoyed. They had decided to wait until Christmas Day before they told Sienna and the rest of their family.

Karen, Keith and Deb had gone back to using the names they had been given by their parents. Now Dan was out of the picture it was safe for them to do so. Lucas however, had decided he wanted to keep the surname he had had his entire life. They hadn't needed to explain anything to their friends; the media frenzy that had followed Dan's demise had filled everyone in on what had happened. Karen had been relieved when the police decided to take no action against her. She had a feeling that Julian had been involved in that decision. Nevertheless, it had been a huge weight lifted from her when she had found out the news.

Alex had decided to relocate from Los Angeles to Seattle. She wanted to be closer to her biological family. Julian had also followed in her footsteps and relocated. He had done so to be closer to Alex. The two of them had their first official date at Brooke and Lucas's wedding. They had been inseparable ever since.

When New Years Eve arrived, everybody gathered at Deb and Andy's house. Even Mouth and Rachel went. They wanted to see the New Year in together and use it as another form of closure and to say goodbye to the horror Dan had put them through. As the clock struck midnight and they all wished each other Happy New Year and the couples shared loving kisses, everybody felt a sense of calm as is finally sunk in that the nightmare was over.


End file.
